The Beginning

Tess

Nicky's car stopped in the employee parking lot. His hand rose every so often to greet a teacher who peered through his window.

I dug through my overnight bag for my ID.

"Got everything?" He wondered.

"I can't find my badge." I continued to search furiously.

"This one?" He reached for my breast.

Aware that everyone had already seen me in his car, my hand snapped to stop him.

He was quicker. His knuckles brushed against me as he took my badge between his thumb and forefinger. Nicky tugged it a couple times, then let it snap back. "Maybe you should call in. You need some sleep."

"You're one to talk. You stayed up all night with me." I countered.

"Yeah, but I'm going home after this. You have another seven and a half hours with these guys." He nodded to the children who scrambled for the side entrance.

"I'll be fine." I popped the door.

"You work tonight?" He stilled me with hand on my forearm.

"I'm not going anywhere unless I get a phone call." I blinked my eyes, feeling the lid stick and peel.

"Do me a favor." His hand lifted to my jaw. "Don't go anywhere." Nicky drew me forward and, despite my better judgement, I didn't fight it. His lips sealed over mine in a quick goodbye. "See you tonight, Miss Bowen." He released me.

Weak in the knees, I pulled myself out of the car and hurried to the door. I tried to behave normally as I made my way down the hall near the gym. A sharp right turn and I was only a few steps away from my classroom door. I pulled my keys to unlock it when a voice startled me.

"Uncle Nicky, huh?" Jessica, our receptionist, leaned against the wall behind me. Her hands wrapped around a to-go cup.

"I'm sorry?" I opened my classroom and hit the lights. Moving briskly to my desk, I unloaded my bags.

"Everyone's favorite uncle. Nicky De La Cruz. I saw you with him this morning." Her tone was pitched up to indicate affability, though I sensed underlying tension.

"Yeah, he did me a favor. I got a flat tire." I mumbled. I thanked myself for putting out work the day prior. I separated my morning plans from the afternoon.

"He's a good man, isn't he?" Jessica said in awe. She stepped further into my classroom. One arm crossed beneath her breast, while the other lifted her coffee to her lips. "Didn't you work last night, though?"

I sighed impatiently and placed my hands flat on my desk. "What are you getting at Jessica?"

"Well, if you were at work, that either means he's staying at the hotel or you called him for help, which is it?"

"Does it make a difference to you?" I didn't suppress my annoyance. Jessica and her FBI level inquiries needed to go somewhere else. I hadn't slept since the day before and everything bounced off my last nerve.

"Uncle Nicky is a nice man, Tess, but underneath that is a person that you wouldn't want." Jessica's voice, still high, grew whiney.

"Jessica, sweetie, thank you for thinking of me. When I want to know what you think, I'll ask."

Jessica opened her mouth to speak. Thankfully, the school bell rang before she could get the next word out.

"Oh shoot, that means the kids are heading to the playground. I'd better get out there. Thank you for stopping by." I waved her off. "Bye."